The coastal fleet is at the heart of the strategic plan for the future of Greek shipping, Stefanos Gikas said.
According to what the deputy minister Maritime and Island Policy, speaking at the Maritime Technical Networking Summit @ Grecotel La Riviera organised by Boussias Events, fleet renewal is now a strategic pillar of maritime policy. “Given that the current coastal fleet numbers 326 vessels, with an average age of 30 years, the need to modernise it is imperative,” Mr: new low or zero CO₂ emission ships, higher standards of navigation safety, modern technologies, improved energy efficiency and better quality of services for islanders and visitors.
Mr. Gikas said that fleet renewal is not only a technical objective, but is the key to a resilient, sustainable and competitive coastal shipping, able to meet the modern needs of island Greece and European environmental commitments. “The Ministry has presented the new study on fleet renewal, which was funded by the Recovery and Resilience Fund to the tune of 1,230.000 euros“, the Deputy Minister said, according to which the study sets out the technical and operational framework for renewal, analyses the clean energy technologies that can be adopted, identifies financing mechanisms for the construction of new ships and proposes public-private partnership models. Most importantly, it creates a concrete roadmap that enables the gradual replacement of the ageing fleet without increasing transport costs for citizens.
The green transition implies increased costs. For this reason, the Government is committed that the additional costs will not be passed on to passengers. “The recent decision to pay €57 million to shipping companies – as much as the cost of the mandatory discounts – is a practical step to support the industry, enhancing the viability of routes,” Mr. Gikas, adding that investing in a new fleet will help improve the connectivity of the islands, support the local economy and tourism, reduce the environmental footprint of maritime transport and enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors alike.
Special reference was made by Gikas to the situation in the wider Middle East region. “In a period of heightened geopolitical tension, at the moment, although the Greek-owned fleet in the wider region has been reduced, there are still Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Straits of Hormuz, more than seventy-five ships of Greek interests, while there are eleven Greek-flagged ships in the Persian Gulf and two in the Gulf of Oman. But let me say, and this is an indication of how serious the situation is, that there are thousand six hundred merchant ships and twenty thousand sailors from all countries inside the Persian Gulf,” he said.
